


The Map the Black Cat Crossed Leads to You

by DarkPoisonousLove



Series: Dance of Devotion [10]
Category: Winx Club
Genre: (mentioned) - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Foster Care, Indirect Love Confessions, Multi, Period Mentions, Resentment, just a nod towards the smut in previous parts, mentions of Roxy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25956730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkPoisonousLove/pseuds/DarkPoisonousLove
Summary: It was more than what could be taken as proof of the superstition about black cats crossing your path. It was the universe weaving their lives together through a series of events laid out in a map bringing them to the present. And despite all the hurt coming from the situation, they all walked away with a little more love and care than they’d had before.
Relationships: Griffin/Valtor | Baltor (Winx Club), mentions of others - Relationship
Series: Dance of Devotion [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800337
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	The Map the Black Cat Crossed Leads to You

**Author's Note:**

> It turns out that 17th August is Black Cat Appreciation Day and since I had a very important black kitty in this universe that inadvertently brought those two together, I decided to write a fic in honor of that. This deals heavily with what happened to Allison after Valtor got her out of her predicament but it still has plenty of Griffin x Valtor feels and even some character development.
> 
> This jumps across the timeline a bit and is set after chapter 7 of "A Home You Never Knew How to Have" which is far from being posted yet. It also references "If Three Brings Luck, Then Six Must Make It Double" aka the fic about Valtor's birthday that happens to be the previous week.

Griffin was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her in a position that strained her spine but she ignored that in favor of utilizing her freedom from her period cramps to sit as she pleased. Her gaze remained on the book in her hands she’d grabbed to keep her company while he’d been trapped on the phone in his study. At least it hadn’t been Riven he’d had to waste their Saturday on bailing out of trouble once again.

The previous summer had been the peak of his troublemaker routine since Valtor had been tasked with handling his messes with no school to get in the way but this one was already coming to an end and Valtor had barely had to lift a finger to keep him out of jail. Whatever his new girlfriend was doing was working in Valtor’s favor as well as he could just stay home and relax with his own miracle.

“Did you know today is Black Cat Appreciation Day?” he asked once he made sure she’d heard him coming back into her space and wouldn't startle. Interesting things were popping up on his Facebook ever since he’d had a bunch of teenagers added as his friends.

“I thought you were a dog person,” Griffin didn’t look up from the book, her gaze still running over the sentence he’d interrupted for her. He could have let her finish her reading but her hands had been on him and not the book before the ring of his phone had popped their bubble and her smeared lipstick was still on his lips to color every thought he voiced in her closeness so she wouldn't mind. Besides, she could always read later in bed to him, whether it would be a way for her to ground his mind after she’d blown it away or to keep it from going into overdrive with unspent energy.

He could never complain with her in his embrace but her period had slammed their breaks rather brutally after her birthday surprise for him and the mood from the weekend carrying into the new week. He’d found himself itching for the touch of her dominance on his skin again and her fingerprints over his brain as she played her tender mind games. Depending on her mood and her condition, there was a chance she’d let them play without waiting for tomorrow and the official end of her period and he had words to say while he could still form them.

“I am,” he went back to the topic at hand. He owed her the courtesy of staying with her after he’d pulled her out of her book to have her eyes shining on him like he was a flower in need of light to bloom. “But I might just be warming up to cats.” She didn’t seem to share the sentiment but, then again, she’d claimed she wasn’t an animal person in general yet she’d still obliged the small pitbull in the shelter she’d dragged him to when the pup had shoved herself in her hands demanding petting. She was too kind and caring to truly dislike an innocent animal soul, no matter how annoying or messy it could be. “Black cats specifically,” he steered the conversation to bring it home like it was a homeless kitty in need of food and warmth he’d just found outside.

“And why is that?” Griffin left her book on the table now that she’d put a bookmark in it to keep her progress safe and turned to him.

“We met because of a black cat,” Valtor didn’t drop her gaze even for a second as he sat down next to her, watching for a reaction to his words. That was a topic he had to tread carefully lest they crashed as well.

Griffin looked away as if she didn’t want to see the inevitable. “We met because Allison crashed Erendor’s car,” her voice instantly dropped under the weight of the stress and loss she’d endured since then. Since she’d met him in that peculiar chain of events latching on to each other to bring them together.

He cupped her cheek and guided her to meet his eyes again with her permission. “I know you can never be happy about the circumstances of our first meeting,” he took a breath to have as much life as possible to put in the next words, “but I will be eternally grateful that I met you and got to know you.”

His birthday had had him see the light when he’d been unable to open his eyes once she’d been sleeping in his arms. Her care for him was bright like a star in the blackness of his life and even if he was plunged into darkness at the event of losing it, he would remain touched by it forever with that birthday he’d shared with her standing out like a diamond amidst the granite of all his other years.

“I know what happened with Allison hurt you and it hurt her,” his thumb stroked over her cheek to feel its dryness. Griffin always got that sorrowful gleam in her eyes that looked like it was draining all the shine from them whenever the events from that day were concerned in some way. She looked like she’d cry all the water out of herself if he let the tears flow. “But I have always been selfish enough to put myself first and as far as I am concerned, that was one of the best days of my life.”

“Valtor...” Griffin’s eyes were like a lake of gold straining to pour out to melt his stiffness and self-imposed judgment to let him move even though he didn’t need to, his heart floating in calmness as he held her close. “I am happy I met you as well,” she covered his hand with hers to keep him right there for her next words. He didn’t care if he was just the positive she’d found in a terrible situation as long as he was good for her. “I could never regret that. And Allison is doing so much better with her foster family.” He’d been left with that impression as well from what Griffin had shared about her monthly visits to the shelter Allison volunteered in with her foster sister. “If only I didn’t miss her that much.” Griffin sighed, spilling out that endless heart of hers. “And she’s missing her parents,” her voice was like a string pulled so taut it was just a moment short of snapping.

“She hasn’t seen them?” he couldn't help the creases in his forehead as his mind turned in on itself to look for any potential information that hadn’t fully registered. Griffin had avoided the existence of Allison’s parents, especially pertaining to the situation at hand, but he’d assumed it was just her attempt to spare him from her less than flattering feelings about them. Even if he didn’t need to be spared but to be there for her in her struggle with accepting reality.

Griffin turned away once again, pulling his hand off her cheek as if it didn’t belong there all of a sudden. “She’s scared,” she let the words out only to not leave him hanging as evidenced in how shredded they were by the grinding of her teeth they’d had to survive through to leave her mouth.

“Of what?” he closed his fingers around hers to make sure she wouldn't slip away in his confusion and lack of understanding.

“Well,” she swallowed the resentment blocking her throat like a cork stopper shoved in it, “they have never had healthy coping mechanisms. She’s terrified that her being away from them has only made that worse. She doesn’t want to go home and find them a total mess and she’s blaming herself for any potential exacerbation of the situation.” Griffin squeezed his fingers with enough force to hurt him, raising all kinds of alarms in his head that harbored no memory of anything similar ever happening before. “You have no idea how hard she wishes she never stole that car,” her voice was a whisper when anything louder would pour too much violence out of her.

“I thought she liked it with her foster family?” Valtor asked. He hadn’t volunteered many questions during Griffin’s recaps of her meetings with Allison and she’d kept the details to herself as she’d read his fear of them like they were mindless beasts that could tear into his past and split it open for his pain to splatter everywhere around them.

“She does.” A hint of a smile had to be forced down for her to continue. “She and Roxy get along spectacularly and they’ve bonded over their love for animals.” That much he’d seen for himself back in the shelter even if his attention had been on the pitbull in Griffin’s arms and not on the girls. “They’re best friends. And she likes her foster father a lot. He even lets her drive his car.” The smile couldn't be silenced this time as it broke out on her face. “Artu,” the family’s dog if he remembered correctly, “also likes her well enough even if she is more of a cat person herself. But she’s worried about her parents.” The edge was back in her voice to make even the thought of her teeth threatening without need for the backup of flashing their sharpness to demonstrate. “It’s as if she’s the parent. She has too many things on her head for a girl her age.” Griffin’s nails dug in his flesh as if she could find the carefree existence she wanted to gift to Allison in him.

“I wish I could have done more,” Valtor let go of her hand and pulled her in his embrace. He would have let her dig as deep as she needed if he could give her what she was looking for but all he could do was spill his blood for her and that would only leave her with more to worry about.

“You did enough,” Griffin laid her head on his shoulder as if she could feel the guilt rising in him and was one step ahead in keeping it anchored down below where it couldn't reach them. “It’s not you that’s the problem. It’s her damn parents,” she spat out the words to leave them as far away from the two of them as possible and protect them from any stains her outrage could leave on them.

“Not everyone has great parents,” Valtor said in her hair to soften the blow and breathe amidst the soothing sensation of feeling her tresses against his lips since a kiss would be misplaced on the current emotional background.

“It’s not fair.” Her fingers were barely trailing over his heart as if to let him feel her support without drawing the words towards his vulnerable place. He hadn’t had to tell her that the situation hit too close to the home he’d never had just like she hadn’t had to tell him she was his home now. He had to tell her that, had to give her the title she wouldn't grab for herself without his explicit permission.

“It’s not,” he agreed as he stroked her hair to disperse her hurtful thoughts and not add more. “But Allison has people who care about her now.” He could tell from experience how crucial that was to dealing with the problems life threw your way. A support system could keep you upright and going and he was ready to back up his words with examples even if he was striving to hold her attention off of himself and he didn’t discuss his friends with her at length since she had her own opinions about them that could overshadow his good intentions in the current situation.

“And you do, too,” Griffin said as if she had a map for navigating his mind. “And thanks to a stubborn hellbeast out there that wouldn't move in the face of an approaching car, you have one more person to care about you now,” her voice was quiet but firm – just the way he needed it to have the words all to himself and not let the universe take them from him.

“That’s more than I could have dreamed for,” he held her closer. Not because his heart was racing away from the possibility of losing her but because she allowed it to rest at ease in her presence.

“You should dream bigger,” Griffin urged him to grab for more but his hands were already full.

There was nothing more to want as long as she was in his arms.


End file.
